


Karma

by Dangel_Gemini



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Betrayal, Canon Divergence, DreamSPM, Gen, I had betas because I need validation, I will never use real names, I'm gonna stop before I hurt myself, I'm not good with tags so bear with me, Minecraft, Mystery, Other, PTSD, President Tubbo, Sabotage, Shit's going down, These tags are a trainwreck, dream team, enjoy the story!!!!, just gamertags, l'manburg, mcyt - Freeform, post revalution/finale, there's a traitor among us, these are so out of order, this does have spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:28:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27869950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dangel_Gemini/pseuds/Dangel_Gemini
Summary: ⚠️This story is set post revaluation so if you aren't caught up, there will be spoilers⚠️There's also canon divergence and anything that happens after the revaluation is not canon to this ficSo many things have changed. How had things gone from a simple dispute over a music disc to an entire country being reduced a crater?Stuck with the aftermath of Wilbur's actions, Tubbo, the newly selected president of L'manburg, along with those who remained citizens of the once great nation work to rebuild what they've lost.Everything seems to be going good.But when the food stores vanish and tools go missing, suspicion and restlessness begins to grow in L'manburg.And it only gets worse from there.Stuck with the aftermath of so many decisions, made by so many people, Tubbo is faced with a huge problem, an issue so much worse than the hole where their home used to be.There's still a traitor among them.
Relationships: Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, There's other character interactions but I don't feel like adding them now, They're strictly platonic and brothers so don't be weird, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. The Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

  * For [farmsicle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/farmsicle/gifts).



> So, I've gotten completely obsessed with the Dream SMP and MCYT in general. My friends on Instagram gave me the idea for this story, and I just had to write it.
> 
> This fic is named and a little inspired by the song Karma by AJR, which is a really good song and I highly recommend it if you haven't listened to it before
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy1JwiXHwI4  
> (I don't know if links work but if they do, that's the song)
> 
> I have no idea how many chapters it will be, probably around 20, but I hope you stick around for it, even though it's not SPN or a ship fic (there will be no ships, other than what is canon in the SMP itself. And even then it just be like mentioning it, such as the fact that in lore, Dream and Fundy are supposed to be married, Niki and Puffy are a thing, Sapnap has Karl and Quackity, etc)
> 
> Obviously, this story will contain angst.  
> Warnings for this book are spoilers for the revolution/finale streams, swearing, mentions of death, extreme sadness, betrayal, explosives, injuries, scars, mentions of PTSD, and mentions of Schlatt  
> (I hate having to put a warning for a person, but I know he makes some people uncomfortable. Also, out of respect for Schlatt, he will only be featured in flashbacks or through characters mentioning him, since he's expressed before that he's uncomfortable with fanfiction and I'm not sure to what extent he means, but I don't want to disrespect his wishes)
> 
> (The first part of this is mainly flashbacks because I felt like writing them)
> 
> Also, please leave comments, they honestly make my day :)
> 
> Without further to do, this is Karma.

It's gone. 

Everything's gone. 

He actually did it. 

The land where L'manburg once stood is now nothing but a hole in the ground.

Much of the landscape around the area had also been damaged. Some by Wilbur's TNT, some by the withers Techno had summoned. 

Either way, it was all destroyed. 

As he looked out, Tubbo sank to his knees. This had to be a dream, this couldn't be reality. 

Could it?

It was silent, yet there was so much noise. Not from the present, but memories of the past shouting to make themselves known. Memories containing moments of pure joy, laughter, and comfort. 

Memories of sitting on the wall with Tommy, talking about whatever came to mind. Of celebrating their victory in the war. Of gaining independence and being free. 

But amidst all the happy memories is pain.

The memory of Tommy and Wilbur being exiled, of having to do whatever Schlatt said in order to stay safe, destroying the wall that had been built to protect them.

A shudder ran down his spine as more and more bad memories surfaced.

Decorating for what was supposed to be a joyous festival. Standing on the stage, ready to give his speech.

Of being trapped in the yellow box. Of staring out at everyone as Schlatt called Techno to the stage.

_ "He's on our side." _

_ "Stay strong." _

_ "He won't hurt you" _

How everything went quiet, moving in slow motion as Techno pulled the trigger and the firework was released. 

It hadn't hurt, it didn't feel like anything, yet he knew that the rocket had entered his chest.

Boom

Tubbo snapped his head up, eyes wide, breath rapid and heavy. One of his hands traced over his face, feeling the scars left behind after his execution.

With a deep breath, he pushed himself to his feet. Sitting here wasn't going to help anything. It wouldn't change the past, it wouldn't make him feel better, and it certainly wouldn't help fill in the crater.

But this wasn't a work trip. He just needed some time to process everything that had happened the day prior. And dear lord it was a lot to process. 

Slowly, Tubbo walked closer to the decimated landscape. Water flowed from what used to be ponds. Stray planks stood out among the rocks, some burnt black, some retaining their warm brown hue.

Some of the rock had been reduced to gravel, which mingled with the dirt and cascaded down the slope of the newly created hill. 

The explosion came out of nowhere. They’d won, Schlatt had died and Dream surrendered. Someone should have been watching Wilbur, but in the moment no one had thought to do so. 

Well, no one in L’manburg that was...

_ ‘Am I cursed?’ _

He’d stopped in his tracks and took a seat at the base of the hill, just looking out once more. Time seemed to disappear. While it normally drifted by like a leaf in a river, this time, it froze. Stagnant as if the leaf was in tar. 

If it hadn’t been for the setting sun, Tubbo would have remained there for hours. But the darkness that began to wash over the land as the moon peaked out from its hiding place, broke the boy from his trance. 

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose. Slowly, he exhaled and opened his eyes before standing up and dusting off his pants.

He stood in place for a moment, then picked up one of the small stones that lay at his feet and tossed it towards one of the pools of water. It splashed across the surface, shattering the silence that had begun to become uncomfortable. 

With one more glance at the ruins, Tubbo turned around and began the trek back up the slope and to Tommy’s house.

~~~

The door creaked as it swung open, bits of dirt falling on Tubbo’s head from the slightly cracking frame. He shuffled his feet a little before stepping inside and closing the door behind him. 

Tommy was sitting on the side of his bed, a roll of bandages in his hand. He glanced up and grinned, light bouncing off his braces and making him seem as though he was shining. 

“Hey big man, what’s up?” He asked, putting the bandages down but remaining in place. 

Tubbo shrugged and slumped down to the right his friend. 

“It’s really all gone..” he murmured, still slightly entranced by the trip. 

Tommy’s smile faded, replaced with a small frown. He put a hand on Tubbo’s shoulder, which caused him to tense up and turn his head. The brunet sighed before relaxing his shoulders and fiddling with his fingers. 

“I mean, how are we supposed to fix this? L’manburg is gone. Wilbur blew it up.”

“Not the first time it’s been blown up,” Tommy pointed out, removing his hand from his friend’s shoulder and returning to the bandages. 

“We rebuilt it before, why not this time?”

“It’s too much. How are we meant to get that much dirt or stone?” 

He had a point. The first time L’manburg was blown up, there was still so much ground left. Places for reconstruction to start and for the dirt to latch onto. 

But now? This time there was almost nothing. 

It would take months to get anywhere close to fixing the landscape, and even then, they’d still have all the buildings to replace and farms to build. 

There was a moment of silence, only broken by Tommy quietly cursing the bandages for being so difficult to apply, despite him threatening them if they didn’t listen. 

Tubbo stifled a laugh and took bandages from Tommy, silently telling him to stop being an idiot and let him help. 

As Tubbo started to wrap the cloth around his friend’s arm, Tommy spoke up again. 

“We could do stilts.”

Tubbo didn’t stop wrapping, but he thought about it. Stilts could work. 

That way they wouldn’t have to fill in the crater and could get right to rebuilding. 

“Think about it,” the blond continued, turning as best he could to face Tubbo. 

“All we’d need is trees and shit.”

Tubbo nodded. 

“Yeah?” He asked, his voice edged with hope. 

“Yeah! And build multiple layers!”

Tommy continued to go on about L’manburg on stilts. A courtyard, some farms, houses, shops, practically anything seemed possible. 

By the time Tubbo had finished replacing the bandages, Tommy was nearly bouncing with excitement. The smile would not leave his face. 

As soon as his hand was free, he grabbed Tubbo by both shoulders and looked at him. 

“This is gonna be fucking awesome!”

~~~

Clutching a book in his hands, Tubbo sprinted along the path, Tommy a few paces ahead of him. The teens had stayed up that night, writing up and sketching out plans for the reconstruction of L’manburg. 

Excitement coursed through his veins as though last night’s trip had never happened. What had been so crushing and painful the day prior now brought nearly unshakable happiness. 

Only a few L’manburgians still had a place to stay after the destruction. Tommy being one of them, Niki being another and their current destination. 

Tommy was hunched over with his hands on his thighs, breath slightly heavy as he caught it. Tubbo shifted the book to under his arm and knocked on the door. 

“Niki! Hello!” 

“One second!” a voice called from the other side. 

Quick footsteps padded faintly along the floor before the door opened, revealing Niki and her smiling face. 

Before she said anything, Niki pulled Tubbo into a hug, then attempted to do the same to Tommy (which was little difficult due to their height difference) 

“How are you?” She asked, stepping back and beckoning the boys inside. 

“Try to stay quiet please, Quackity’s still asleep,” she added once the door was closed, eyebrows pinching together. 

Tubbo frowned. 

“Still? Has he woken up at all since the explosion?”

Niki nodded, but the look of concern remained plastered to her face. 

“Once yesterday, but only to eat bread.”

Tommy, who had been strangely silent, took this moment to speak up. 

“Well he’d better get off his ass soon, we have a plan.”

Niki turned to the blond with interest replacing the sadness in her expression. 

“A plan for what?”

Tommy grinned and pulled the book from Tubbo’s hold, flipping it open and thrusting it at Niki’s face. 

“We’re gonna rebuild L’manburg!”

It seemed to take a few seconds for Niki to process what she has just been told. Initially, she’d backed up to avoid being hit in the face by the book. Less than a minute later, she was beaming and reaching for the book to get a better look, sitting down criss-cross on the floor. 

“Stilts? Like it’s a dock?” She asked after a moment of reading. 

Tubbo nodded, crouching down and pointing to a slightly smudged drawing towards the bottom of the page. 

“This would be the entrance, and here would be a courtyard for stalls, the farm would go over there-“

Tommy and Tubbo took turns explaining their plan to Niki, who had an ever increasing smile on her face. 

“All we have to do is tell Fundy and Karl, then get a fuck ton of wood,” Tommy finished, taking the book in his hands and dramatically closing it with a slam. 

Niki clapped her hands a little before rising to her feet. 

“Should I meet you at L’manburg?”

Tubbo stood as well. 

“Sure!”

“Bring food,” Tommy added, which earned a teasing elbow to his side from Tubbo. 

Niki laughed at his comment though. 

“I’ll bring fresh bread,” she promised. 

Tommy muttered a small “yes” before waving as he ran to the door. 

“See ya Niki!”

Tubbo gave a much calmer goodbye, smiling and giving Niki a quick hug before also walking to the door, saying ‘bye’ as he left. 


	2. Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the first chapter was so much fun to write!!!  
> This book is honestly such a breath for me because even though I thought I'd feel weird about writing it, I'm having such a good time!!!
> 
> I really hope you like it and that you keep reading for the rest of the story :)

Leaving Niki's house behind him, Tubbo sprinted down the path, taking longer strides than he normally would in order to catch up with Tommy. Bits of gravel caught in the slats of wood bounced up and snuck their way into his shoes.

"Tommy! Wait for me!"

The blond turned his head back and stopped walking, turning his body to face his friend.

"Why are you so fucking slow?" He asked. His tone didn't reveal the humour behind his words, yet his eyes had an extra sparkle in them.

Tubbo shrugged and kept walking, flashing Tommy a smirk as he took a few more steps before breaking into a sprint.

The look on Tommy's face nearly made Tubbo lose his composure. His friend had wide eyes and his mouth had formed a perfect circle as he let out a shout of annoyance and ran after Tubbo, book of plans clutched tightly to his chest.

He couldn't hear it anymore, not since his execution, but Tubbo remembered the sound of brisk wind whistling in his ears. His mind replayed the sound and he ran down the path, ignoring the mild discomfort the pebbles in his shoes caused.

Eventually though, his lungs began to burn as though someone had ignited them. The brunet slowed his pace to a normal walk, hands above his head and chest heaving to get his breath back.

Tommy was right behind him, breathing ragged and overly dramatic sighs and gasps came from his mouth.

"The fuck is wrong with you?" He asked, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder to let him know his location.

Tubbo turned his head a grin spreading across his face, eyes scrunching up and face crinkling.

"Why're- why're you so fucking slow?" He teased.

Tommy glared and clapped his shoulder, anger remaining absent from his actions. As if to show his intentions, he slung an arm around his much shorter companion.

It was a brief gesture, as it was difficult to walk due to their height difference, but it meant more to Tubbo than Tommy probably knew. Physical contact was rare, and physical contact that lacked the heat and evil intent of war was even more rare. As much as he wouldn't admit it out loud, touch starved would be the right word to use.

As they walked, Tubbo let his mind wander briefly to times before the war. Times when he and Tommy would explore the forests around where L'manburg would eventually stand. Games of hide-and-seek or tag were common in these moments, usually leading to play wrestling and fits of giggles.

If there was a stream nearby, the pair would splash each other so much that they'd often return home dripping wet, socks and shoes dangling from their hands or sloshing at their feet.

God he missed these times....

A tap on his shoulder brought him back to the present moment, a hint of sadness following him out of his mind.

Looking in front of him, a large tent lay slightly off the path. Rather than move in with someone, Fundy had elected to live by himself in a makeshift tent, saying if it's temporary, may as well make it cool.

A plank sat outside the entrance, acting as a door for knocking rather than rapping on the wool of the tent and risking dislodging it.

The sun was able to cast a faint silhouette of the inside, showing the chest, bed, and human inside.

Tommy stepped up to the plank, paused, then turned to Tubbo.

"You knock, it's your height."

Tubbo stuck his tongue out in protest of the jab, yet complied and softly knocked on the wood, carful not to anger the wounds behind his bandages.

A voice called from the inside of the tent, but he couldn't quite make out the words. A moment later, the tent flap opened, revealing the fox-man.

Tommy gave him no chance to say hello.   
"Fundy! Read this!"

"Hi," Fundy exclaimed, seeming a bit startled.

Tubbo pulled Tommy back a bit and gestured to the book in his friend's hand.   
It didn't take long to explain the plan, Tommy taking over and showing Fundy the book with excitement on his face. Meanwhile, Tubbo was sitting on the knocking stump, fishing the gravel out of his shoes.

The hybrid seemed relatively half asleep, yet he nodded along to Tommy's rambling (he went off script due to excitement)

"Where're we getting the logs?" Fundy asked, attempting to rub the remaining sleep from his eyes.

Tubbo turned his head to see before speaking.   
"We have some, but do you have any on you?"

Fundy shrugged and muttered something before gingerly pulling back the tent flap and ducking inside. A few moments later, he returned with roughly twenty odd logs, dropping them unceremoniously to the ground with a clatter.

"Is this good?" He asked, gesturing to the new pile of wood.

Tubbo pretended to survey the wood, Tommy catching on and joining . Of course they would work! But a good president needed to make sure the building materials wouldn't decay the second they were placed.

The brunet held up his hand, thumbs up.   
"These are perfect! Thank you!"

Fundy flashed a smile and nodded, seemingly attempting to conceal something.

Tommy began to collect the wood into stacks, preparing a space for them on his person.   
Rather than help, Tubbo turned his attention to the Fox-man.

"Are you okay?" He asked, glancing at Tommy to make double sure he was distracted.

Fundy shrugged and tilted his head to one side.   
"I'm not bad."

Tubbo frowned a bit, a little confused.  
Fundy had just lost his dad. Shouldn't he be upset or at least bothered by it?  
At most, Fundy seemed mildly inconvenienced.

"Are you sure?" He pressed a little harder.

Fundy's ears pressed back against his head and he frowned.   
"Yeah, I'm sure."

Tubbo let it drop at this.

Just as he was about to apologize, an armful of logs was shoved into his chest, not hard enough to be painful but definitely a surprise.  
A huffy exhale joined a small "oof" as his arms instinctively wrapped around the wood, tiny bits of bark beginning to get trapped in the bandages.   
Judging by what he could see, Tommy's were in a similar shape.

"Let's go, Big man!" The blond pleaded, starting to walk off in hopes that the other two would follow.

Tubbo gestured with a jerk of his head for Fundy to follow and joined Tommy, having to do a small jog before reaching his side.   
He glanced over his shoulder to check for the Fox-man.

Fundy seemed to be contemplating following or just returning to his tent, hands toying with his tail.   
He glanced up, making eye contact with Tubbo, before dropping his tail, adjusting his pin, and shuffling after the duo.

The walk was awkward to say the least. Fundy held back the whole time and remained silent.

' _Did I do something wrong?'_

Before reaching L'manburg, they checked Karl's house.   
Tubbo knocked once. No answer. Twice. No answer.

Tommy rolled his eyes and gently pushed Tubbo out of the way. He banged his fist against the door.   
"Ay! Come out here bitch!"

No response.

Tubbo pursed his lips and hooked his arm through Tommy's, pulling him gently away from the door before he could harass it anymore.

"I don't think he's home."

Tommy shrugged and grumbled a few words under his breath, but followed along, rejoining the path to L'manburg.

' _He was here yesterday? Where is he?'_  
It wasn't really like Karl to just vanish without an explanation, especially considering one of his fiancés is severely injured.   
_'Why doesn't Quackity just live with Karl?'_

Too many questions. They're strange men.   
Tubbo shook his head, ridding his mind of any off topic thoughts.

As the group neared the crater of L'manburg, the regret and feeling of numbness returned.   
What if it wasn't the same? What if it didn't work? What if L'manburg was gone for good?

A tap on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts this time.   
Jolting, his head whipped to the left. Tommy stood next to him, arms full of wood.

"Where're we putting this?" He asked.

"Uhh, just put it over there," Tubbo answered, gesturing vaguely towards a spot near the edge.

Tommy nodded and presumably followed instructions.

Tubbo allowed his eyes to scan the area once again. He could still tell where things used to be.   
The stage, the buildings, everything. When he closed his eyes, everything was the same. It was back to normal, the way it had been before.

He wished this wasn't the case. It would be so much easier to move on if only he could forget the past. Forget what used to be and only remember what was going to be.

Almost as if in a trance, the brunet walked slowly to the area he had directed Tommy to.   
A chest and crafting bench had been set up, a few torches placed around the area, and an empty lectern next to the chest.

The final touch was opening the book, to place it on the lectern.

Once that was done, it was official. L'manburg would be reborn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I'm not the best at ending chapters
> 
> I hope this is good!!! I tried to add bits of foreshadowing in here and I know it may seem clunky at parts but trust me, it's gonna all work out
> 
> I'm really proud of this story and how it's going and what I'm planning to do  
> I really hope you enjoy it too :)

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, I hope you liked this first chapter
> 
> I was so scared to post this because it's my first time writing a fanfic about real people (even though they're roleplaying) since I was 11 and making Stampy comics, as well as I wasn't sure if I would be able to capture the personalities of the people and characters in question
> 
> I want to thank my friends Farm, Inky, and Bel for being my beta readers and for providing me so much support as I was writing this first chapter
> 
> I'm so excited to write more and I really hope you enjoy it
> 
> (also, I do have a twitter where I will share drawing's ahead of time, hold polls on who/what I should draw next, and all in all just vibe and meme around. If you wanna give me a follow, it's @/lost_n_spac_Gem)


End file.
